A berth in the Baltimore County girls lacrosse championship game is high on Dulaney's wish list, and the Lions can make progress toward that goal with victories in upcoming games against Perry Hall on April 10 and Hereford two days later.

"These are league games," Dulaney coach Kristi Korrow said. "So it affects us for the county championship."

The Lions have beaten Perry Hall eight straight times.However, after a string of blowouts, the last two games have been close, decided by two and four goals, respectively.

"I have seen great improvement in Perry Hall," Korrow said about a team that knocked off county champion Catonsville last year. "We have to make sure we come ready to play."

And certain they're not peeking ahead to an intense rivalry game against Hereford. Bulls-Lions encounters have been tight recently, except for a 12-5 Hereford blowout win last year.

The game finished in a 7-7 tie two years ago and the Bulls prevailed in overtime in 2010 and triple overtime the previous season.

"That's our biggest game of the year," Korrow said. "The girls get really amped up. They know so many players on the other team."

The 3-1 Lions — who lost 12 seniors to graduation from a team that went 10-7 last year— are led by senior goalie Caroline Meegan (Boston University recruit), senior midfielder Sarah Dorl (San Diego State University) and senior Corinne Wood (Washington and Lee University).

Dulaney opened with an 11-9 victory over Patterson Mill, cruised past county foes Kenwood, 13-0, and Loch Raven, 17-10, before losing to Bryn Mawr, 14-5.

Still, the Lions only trailed Bryn Mawr, ranked No. 5 in the area by the Baltimore Sun, 6-5, with 17:04 remaining in the second half.

A Dulaney player's shot hit a post 19 seconds later before the Mawrtians took control.

Korrow said the win over Loch Raven could set the tempo for the remainder of the season. The Lions prevailed behind Dorl (5 goals), Lauren Bundick (3) and Ali Collie (3).

"The girls are struggling a little bit to find their roles and place, in terms of being a leader and a follower," Korrow said. "We had a big meeting before the Loch Raven game to address those issues. The girls seemed to respond really well to it.

"The really embraced the team concept. From here on out, I think they are ready to take it and run with it."